


The Cast Comes Off

by EdwardSwan (amesthesergeant)



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M, This takes place during the summer between Twilight and New Moon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-25 07:06:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17116703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amesthesergeant/pseuds/EdwardSwan
Summary: Prompt: "You're a nerd."





	1. Chapter 1

Bella's cast was finally coming off and she was overjoyed. There was nothing worse than having to spend the beginning of summer trying to get around limping around everywhere, which meant that she had been spending a majority of her first weeks of summer at home. The person most excited for Bella to be rid of the cast, other than herself of course, was Edward. While he loves spending time with her anywhere, he's been dying to take her out on an actual date, something she refused to do anywhere besides the meadow.

“You know this is entirely unnecessary right?” Bella tilted her head to see Edward's face from her place on his back. She was also trying to hide her face from the stares that were burning a hole in her head as people gawked at her getting a piggyback ride from her boyfriend down the halls of the hospital. 

“It's actually very necessary,” He said matter of factly. 

“How?”

“It's necessary because I know you don't like limping...and also because you move a bit too slow for my taste,” he turns his head a little to smile teasingly at her. She glares down at him a little.

“So were you always this rude or do vampires lose their manners as they age?”

Edward gives a low chuckle, “According to Carlisle I was a lovely young man.”

“I think he may have lied to you,” Bella presses a kiss against his temple to let him know she's not serious. She gives up on getting him to put her down and relaxes against him as he steps onto the elevator. “Hey...what do you mean ‘according to Carlisle’....do you not remember what you were like as a human?” 

“I can remember some parts but most things are just...not there anymore.”

“Can you remember your parents?” Bella asks softly, not sure if this was a topic he would want to get into. 

“A little….I'll tell you what I can remember after we get that cast off of you, okay?” Edwards reply is just as soft. The thought of his mother always brought him a sense of peace, and the thought of Bella sharing in her memory brought him immeasurable joy, but along with that peace always came a certain amount of pain at the fact that he would never see his mother again, never hear her voice, never have her arms around him. 

The elevator arrives at the correct floor and they make their way down the halls amid stares, Bella hating the fact that living in such a small town means that this small thing would be town gossip for at least a week. They finally arrive at Carlisle's office just as the door opens. Carlisle takes in their current positions and an amused smile spreads across his face before he gestures for them to follow him to an exam room. 

“So Bella,” Carlisle pulls out the necessary equipment, “do you have any plans for your first day as a free woman?”

“I am going to go home and enjoy the feeling of sleeping without having to worry about moving my leg too much,” Bella lays back and closes her eyes so she won't have to see him take a saw to her leg. 

“Actually, we have other non-sleeping plans today,” Edward pipes up from his position on Bella's other side.

Bella opens her eyes to stare at him with disdain. “Whyyy? I want to sleep.”

“There's a wonderful museum in Seattle you might enjoy, I know you haven't been able to go out there like you've been planning. Today would be a nice day for a small trip,” comes Carlisle's voice, he notices the room go silent so he looks up from his work and sees that Edward’s looking at Bella with a pleased slightly smug smile, while Bella looks back with a small grimace. “Sorry, was that not helpful.”

Bella turns to look at him as her grimace fades into a look of reluctant acceptance, “Fine, I'll sleep later since you decided to tag team me into thinking a whole day in another city sounds fun.” 

Carlisle chuckles before turning back to Bella's leg. Edward's smile turns positively gleeful, “I'm glad you see it my way.” 

“You know if you really didn't want to go I'm sure Edward wouldn't have pushed it.”

“Yeah that's part of the reason why I agreed to go,” Bella sighs before turning to Edward to give him a loving yet exasperated look. Carlisle lets a fond smile spread across his face. Bella notices Edward get a bashful look on his face and is certain it must be whatever is going through Carlisle's head. After that they fall into a comfortable silence.

“Well Bella, you are free to go. You can even walk out on your own two feet if you want.”

Edward chuckles at Bella's blush, grabbing her around the waist to help her down from her spot on the exam table.

“Maybe next time,” Bella smiles as she walks behind and Edward and jumps up on his back. Edward looks at her through the mirror on one of the walls, “Oh so now you're fine with me carrying you?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Yes because this time I decided it,” Bella leans over his shoulder to say this in his face with a smile on her face. Carlisle pats them both on their shoulders, “Have fun both of you, and Edward don't forget she does in fact need sleep eventually,” he follows them out of the room before bidding them farewell and heading back to work. Bella lightly taps Edward on his thigh with her foot, “Come on trusty steed...I believe you were going to take me on a date.”

Edward chuckles before walking in the direction of the elevator, “You know since that cast came off you've become a little bossy.”

“Only a little? I guess I gotta step up my game.” 

In the car they sit simply listening to the music playing for a while before Bella decides to approach their conversation from earlier, “So...what was your life like when you were human...from what you can remember?” 

Edward takes a moment to gather his thoughts before he begins, “I remember that I loved my mother more than anything.” he gets a wistful look on his face, “I remember she was an incredibly loving person. My memories of my father are fewer than those of my mother….I suppose I can attribute that to the fact that he worked a lot so I never spent as much time with him as I would have liked...but I remember that he loved my mother very much,” he exhales shakily. Bella reaches out and takes his hand in hers, he looks at their linked hands for a second, Bella would worry except that she knows he could probably drive blindfolded and not crash, he looks at her and gives her a small smile before turning to look back at the road, “and I know they would have loved you very much.” 

Bella lets a bashful smile spread across her face before she pulls her hand from his to lightly stroke his cheek, a second later he reaches his hand up to cover hers. Bella knows he would probably be crying right now if it was possible and her heart aches at the thought that he doesn't get to have the small relief that crying out your emotions brings. 

“It's a horrible feeling...not remembering much of my human life, but perhaps the worst part is that the only way I can remember her face is from when I first read Carlisle's mind after my transformation. The first thing I asked was where was she...he instinctively thought of the last time he saw her, sweaty and sickly pale showing just how close to death she really was, but still begging him to save my life...it's the only way I remember her looking and I hate that more than anything,” Edward gives a grimace of pain at the memory, “I wanted to start crying...I tried to start crying,” he chuckles bitterly, “by the time it was okay for us to try to go to my home it had been emptied...any pictures I could have had were gone forever.”

In her head Bella vows to try to find a picture of his mother, she's always been good at research after all. Edward looks over at Bella and notices tears on her face, something she hadn't even noticed until that moment. He wipes them away with his thumb, “I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset.” 

“No, I'm okay.” 

Edward raises an eyebrow at her.

“Okay maybe not okay but you can't exactly expect me to be unaffected by any of that.”

At that moment Edward pulls into a parking garage quickly finding a spot and parking before fully turning to look at Bella, “This wasn't my intention when I started telling you about my human memories.”

Bella sighs, wiping her eyes once more before turning to mimic his position,”I'm glad you shared that with me. I love learning about your past, and I knew it would have some not so happy moments, but I want you to be able to talk to me about anything so I'm perfectly okay with that,” she pauses deciding that he's had to think enough about doom and gloom for the day, “anyway...you promised to take me on a date and evidently we're already here so let's go,” she gives his hand a squeeze before opening her door and getting out. She hears Edward get out and waits for him to walk to her side before she reaches out and wraps her arm around his middle to give him silent comfort. He reciprocates by draping his arm around her shoulder and tugging her as close as possible before guiding her towards what she assumes is the entrance of wherever they're going.

She notices that the doors of the entrance reveal that they're at a museum and she laughs, “Really? A museum? Did you even have a plan for today before Carlisle mentioned this place?” she teases.

He laughs as he pulls her even closer, resting his chin on her head for a moment, “Yes, I actually did, but since Carlisle mentioning a museum is what made you change your mind about coming, I figured it would be a good idea to come check it out.”

“Ah, smart,” Bella says in a jokingly serious voice.

They go around the museum looking at various exhibits. They get to a part of the museum that holds life size replicas of a towns streets and includes homes meant to represent different countries. Bella excitedly runs to look into the windows of each house, pulling Edward by his hand. She looks away from the window of the fake hotel to look at him, slightly confused, “What?”

“You're a nerd.” Edward says with a gleeful look in his eyes, a large smile on his face. 

Bella frowns up at him, “I'm having fun, screw you.”

Edward's smile just grows bigger, “I don't mean anything bad by it. I like it...you're very cute.”

Bella lets a small smile slide onto her face, as does a very red blush. She rolls her eyes and just grabs his hand to pull him to the next fake building, “Yeah, yeah, I'm adorable.”

“You really are,” Edward raises a playful eyebrow at her before bringing her hand up to give it a kiss, he continues, “it's okay...we all have our crosses to bear.”

They're looking at an exhibit when Bella quietly asks him, “Was it really like that back then?”

Edward looks between her and the exhibit a few times before settling on her, “Love I was alive in early 20th century Chicago….this exhibit is about Russia in the 1800s.” 

Bella looks up at him for a moment before she turns back to the exhibit, muttering under her breath, “Next time I'm coming with Carlisle.”

Edward chuckles, “You'll be here for days then, he loves talking about history. You'll probably spend hours at every single exhibit.”

“Perfect!” Bella's excitement gets away from amd she says that a little too loudly. Edward smiles adoringly at her before pulling her into his side as they continue walking. 

“As much fun as I'm having I think it's time to go, you're barely holding yourself up.”

“Liar, I am totally walking on my own,” Bella insists even though she knows if he wasn't supporting her she would most likely not be upright.

They leave and only ten minutes after they pull out of the parking structure Edward notices Bella is fast asleep. He chuckles before softly whispering to her, “I told you so,” he grabs her hand across the console already planning their next five dates.


	2. Celebrating Edward's Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a continuation. It's mostly a follow up to a conversation they had in the first chapter. Also I know in the first chapter I stuck to canon on the whole 'Vampires can't cry' thing but I decided to completely ignore that here because honestly they should be able to cry.

“Bella, I don't age. It's pointless to celebrate a vampires birthday.”

Edward honestly wishes Bella would just drop the topic, but he knows her incredibly stubborn nature well enough to know that that's not going to happen. He acknowledges that he can really only blame himself for bringing up the topic of birthdays, but in his defense he thought he would be able to keep Bella away from the topic of his. He now sees how unrealistic that plan unfortunately was. 

“It's not fair that you're trying to plan a birthday party for me when I don't even know when your birthday is.” Bella knows she's being difficult but she truly doesn't care. She may not have had decades to develop her stubbornness but she's still very good at it if she does say so herself.

“That's different, you're still aging.”

“Hey, that's on you buddy.” She drops herself next to him on the sofa, “If you'd let the venom do its thing we wouldn't be having this conversation.”

Edward gives her blank stare, “That's not funny, you know I don't like that joke.”

“First of all, it wasn't a joke this time, and second of all, it's always funny.” 

“Anyway,” Edward decides to try to get the conversation back on track, “it doesn't even matter because my birthday passed already.”

Bella knows for that's definitely a lie but decides to let it go for the moment. “Okay, fine, but this conversation isn't over.” 

Edward just sighs.

A week later he goes over to Bella's to spend the day with her. Before he can even fully make it up the stairs Bella opens the door and jumps on him, “Happy birthday!”

Edward groans but wraps his arms around her and thanks her. He may not like his birthday being celebrated but he still has manners despite what Bella may say sometimes. 

Once she hops down from him he finally asks, “Alice?”

“I'm a little offended you don't think I could find out on my own.”

“I know you're more than capable of it, but Alice is an evil little gremlin that would tell you just because she knows I don't want you to know.”

Bella decides to ignore him and tugs at his hand to pull him inside. She gestures for him to sit on the couch, “Don't move, I'll be right back with your gift.” 

“You are the only gift I'll ever need.” 

Bella reaches for a pillow and throws it at his face, “That was very sweet but please stop trying to prevent this.” Bella goes into the kitchen, and comes back out a few moments later carrying a box covered in smiley face wrapping paper with a yellow ribbon wrapped around it. What Edward notices most, however, is the nervous look on her face. In an attempt to wipe that look off her he reaches for her hand as soon as she sits down and kisses her knuckles. “I hope you like it.” Bella says as she places the box on his lap.

“I may not want to celebrate, or even acknowledge this day, but I'm sure I'll love whatever is in here.”

Bella smiles and kisses his cheek before she gestures to the box and starts bouncing eagerly, “Open it!”

He chuckles, then sighs before tugging at the wrapping paper, and pulling the top off of the box. He's not sure what he expects, but it definitely isn't what he gets. He pulls out a photo album. He smiles before opening it expecting to see pictures of Bella and him and maybe Alice, but that's not what he gets. He sees black and white photos of a woman and man who both resemble him in different ways, his parents. He looks up at Bella in shock, he opens his mouth to speak, but closes it before opening it once more a moment later, “Where did you get these?” 

Bella smiles, anxious and excited at the same time, “After you told me about how you only really remember your mom's face through Carlisle's memory. About how because of that you only remember her looking pale and sick, I did some research and managed to find out what happened to the stuff from your house. A neighbor took most of the stuff, thankfully including the pictures. I managed to track down their great great granddaughter and she still had those pictures. When I told her I knew someone who was ‘related to the Masens’ she gave them to me, along with a lot of books and clothes? Those people were thieves and hoarders, it's crazy and I realize I'm rambling now bu-” Bella is interrupted by Edward kissing her. They stay that way for a moment before Edward pulls back, still holding her face in his hands. Bella can see tears forming in his eyes, “I'm sorry,” She reaches up to wipe them away.

He chuckles before shaking his head slightly, “What on Earth could you be sorry for?”

“You're crying.”

He sighs, pulling her into his arms, “Because this is truly the most thoughtful, second best gift I've ever received...the first best being you,” he pulls back so he can fully look at her just as she playfully rolls her eyes at him. He chuckles before gesturing to the album without looking away from her, “I never thought I would see her like that again, healthy and happy. I gave up hope as soon as I heard there was nothing left in my childhood house. You didn't give up though, you looked and looked and found something….you did that for me and there are no words to tell you how much I appreciate that, how much I appreciate you.” He pulls her close to kiss her once more before pulling her into his side so they can look at the album together.

She reaches out to turn the page of the album still on his lap, “Look, there's a family photo...you look so happy.”

“Yeah,” he says smiling wistfully. He turns the page again where there's a large picture of his mother. He pauses and gently runs his fingers over her face. His eyes tear up again as he looks at his mother's smiling face for the first time in decades.

Bella takes one look at his face before reaching out and tugging his head to rest on her shoulder. They sit in silence, save for the occasional comment, as they flip through the album. 

Before Edward leaves hours later, he hands the album to Bella, “For safekeeping,” he explains, “and besides I spend more time here with you than I do at my own house.” He pulls Bella into another tight hug. They stay in their embrace for a long few minutes, “I'll see you in your room in a bit, okay?” he whispers. When he feels her nod he pulls away. 

Later, as they're laying down together, Edward running his hand through her hair, he softly tells Bella, “I know I don't have a lot to compare it to considering I haven't done anything for my birthday...well ever, but I can confidently say that this has been the best birthday ever.”

“Really?” comes Bella's slightly sleepy reply.

“Yeah...I got to spend the day relaxing with you, and to some extent my mother….there's nothing more I could ask for.” He presses a kiss to her forehead, “Sleep love, you seem tired.”

“Okay.” Bella snuggles closer to him, “Goodnight, I love you. Happy birthday.” With that she allows herself to drift of in the arms of her birthday boy, refusing to think of the fact that since she got to do something for him, he gets to do something for her birthday.


End file.
